AUGUSTA, Ga. — Louis Oosthuizen figures any trophy at the Masters is better than none. And he’s sticking to that story.

Oosthuizen yesterday became the third straight South African to win the Par 3 Contest at the Masters, finishing at 6 under. It’s somewhat of a dubious distinction, however, considering no winner of the Par 3 has ever gone on to capture the Green Jacket.

“There’s always a first time to break the curse,” said Oosthuizen, who has three top-five finishes on the European Tour this season, including a win at the Andalucia Open. “Everyone is aware of it, but to have your name on anything at the Masters I think is great.”

Graeme McDowell, who was an early leader at 2 under, said jokingly that he had never rooted for someone to pass him on the leaderboard before. When Oosthuizen pulled into a tie at 4 under, Ernie Els suggested he put a ball in the water.

“Then I made another long [putt] and he said you might as well go for it,” said Oosthuizen, who finished two strokes ahead of Matteo Manassero, David Duval, Jerry Pate and K.J. Choi.

“It was just a fun thing,” Oosthuizen said. “We were so relaxed out there.”

McDowell and Jim Furyk had the only aces in the contest, both coming on the ninth hole.